The Aconcagua Valley was not hit nearly as hard as other areas to the south. Even Santiago, just one valley over, had much more structural damage than our immediate area. We had very minor, superficial damage to our house and none at all to our cellar. We only stack our barrels two high, so they moved a bit but did not topple. Our friends at Viña San Esteban report that they did not suffer any damage either (and our wine stored there in barrels and bottles is also fine). The Von Siebenthals are also safe, with very little damage to their winery. Most of their wines would be in barrels and small tanks, which are generally much more stable than than larger tanks. We were all very fortunate in this time of crisis, and we are so thankful that everyone is fine.

Our big worry right  now is for our friends and colleagues in Cauquenes. Land lines and cellular towers are down, so we still have not been able to talk to anyone there. The epicenter was 63 kilometers southwest of the town, about 50 kilometers from our vineyard. The vineyard will be fine, of course—there is an old adobe building on the property that might have collapsed, and the water tanks might have fallen, but we really don’t have any important structures on the property that could be compromised. We are just hoping and praying that everyone there is safe.

The cooler weather forecast for this week could set the vintage back even further. Sunshine is more important for ripening than heat, so fog would slow down ripening more than a cooling trend. Fog is unusual in San Felipe this time of year, so we’ll see how the rest of the week plays out. Our crop is relatively small, which will be an advantage: the vines should be able to fully ripen a smaller crop before they start shutting down for winter.

One advantage of cooler weather at this point is that the fruit should hold its acidity longer, ensuring a good acid balance at picking. It’s always a tradeoff to wait for fuller, riper flavors while the acidity naturally drops as the grapes mature. We should see some vibrant wines this vintage that present good ripe flavors combined with a lively structure.

Another issue throughout the wine region this year is an uneven crop. Veraison was very long and uneven, and we still have some green clusters that never turned color. We’ll go through the vineyard this week to thin out those clusters, as well as the small second crop, which will allow the vines to focus on ripening the main crop and give us a more consistent flavor profile from cluster to cluster.

Peppermint sugar cookies

1  3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
125 g (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/3 cup crushed candy canes (about 65 grams, from 4 medium candy canes)
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Stir the flour and baking powder with a whisk to blend; set aside. Beat the butter, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts, then stir in the flour mixture. Finally, mix in the crushed candy canes until just blended. Chill the dough for an hour (using a food container, so the dough doesn’t dry out). (If you’re in a hurry, as I always am, then divide the dough in two and flatten the balls into disks, so they chill faster—in, say, 30 minutes.)

Preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Working with half the dough at a time (and leaving the other half in the refrigerator), roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick (1/2 cm). Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool briefly on the sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about three dozen.

Marjoram horseradish sauce for grilled beef

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a smooth sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about half a cup (we used most of it between the two of us).

This recipe makes about four cups of frosting, which is enough to generously frost a two-layer cake. I made a simple square cake, so I had some left over. After about a week in the refrigerator, the texture was still very smooth when I brought the frosting to room temperature for some cupcakes.

White chocolate frosting

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
250 g. (2 sticks) butter, divided
about 400 g. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
300 g. (3 bars) white chocolate

Have the cream cheese, butter, and white chocolate at room temperature.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the white chocolate with half the butter. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese with the remaining butter until very smooth. Gradually add two to three cups of powdered sugar, tasting for sweetness as you go. Beat until very smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl of the mixer to ensure an even mixture. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat again until very well incorporated. Add the vanilla. Taste for sweetness and add more powdered sugar if desired. (I used a total of 370 grams, or just over 3/4 pound.)

The frosting will be very soft, so you will need to refrigerate it for about 15 minutes until it is firm enough to use. If it becomes too firm (or if you make it in advance), let it rewarm to room temperature before spreading.

Makes about 4 cups.

The vineyard generally looks good. The tempranillo and petite sirah cuttings had a good success rate, and most of the new plants are leafing out nicely. The syrah, on the other hand, largely did not take. The good news is that the nursery has guaranteed the plants, so we’ll get replacement cuttings to replant those sections this winter. The bad news is that we’ve lost a year of growth, and we will incur considerable costs in replanting.

In the vineyard, we had a good fruit set. We are controlling irrigation, aiming for a balance between keeping the vines healthy without promoting too much vigor so the berries don’t plump up too much. Otherwise, we’re just letting the fruit develop until harvest in late March. The cool spring means the vineyard is about ten days behind it’s usual development, so we’re expecting a late harvest.

For dinner tonight (Christmas Eve!) we’re having a big summer grill, with red and yellow peppers, eggplant, red onions, and a whole tri-tip, which is called punta picana in Chile. I have recently discovered a great organic beef producer—only available in Santiago, but with a little planning I can usually have it on hand. This marinade is really easy, and it makes a delicious sauce to serve with the meat. I can’t remember where I found the recipe (a magazine? it was at least ten years ago), so I can’t give credit where credit is due. I’ve only modified it slightly from the original (namely, I cut the sugar in half—it was way too sweet as published), although I do sometimes substitute merquén powder or Thai chili sauce for the Tobasco. 

Bourbon marinade for whole tri-tip steak

1/2 cup bourbon
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/teaspoon Tobasco (or other chili powder or sauce)

Combine the ingredients and let sit for ten minutes to let the sugar dissolve. I use a plastic bag for marinating meats—not green, I know, but it’s one of the few things I use them for and it really is a great way to marinate. Add the tri-tip to the marinade and refrigerate. Marinate for several hours (ideally overnight), turning the meat occasionally to ensure even marinating. When you grill the steak, transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and boil until reduced by half. Serve the sauce with the steak.